Atlas Sheepdog (Aidi)Standard FCI N 247 (22.04.96)

ORIGIN : Morocco.
UTILIZATION : There are no sheepdogs in the Atlas. The Morrocan dog who lives in our mountains has never guarded the flocks in the same way attributed to that type of work in Europe. The Aidi is a mountain dog so called to defend the tent and belongings of his masters as well as protecting the stock from the wild animals which could cause damages.
CLASSIFICATION FCI : Group 2 Pinscher and Schnauzer type-Molossian and Swiss Mountain and Cattle Dogs
Section 2.2 Molossian type, Mountain type
Without working trial.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Very rugged solid dog, remarkable for his strength and mobility; he is muscular, sensitive, powerfully built, without any heaviness and has a thick coat which protects him as much from the sun as the cold of his original mountains; this coat forms an armour in the fights the Aidi has to sustain with the jackals and other predators. His expression is lively, direct and decisive as befits a vigilant dog always ready to fulfill his role as guard dog. In certain regions, it is customary to crop the ears and dock the tail of working dogs; this practice is not desirable.

HEAD

CRANIAL REGION: A bear's head, lean and well proportioned with the whole of the body; its general shape is conical, the zygomatics are not chiselled and serve to join, without stop, the skull to the muzzle.
Skull: The skull is flat and broad; a slight medial furrow is apparent and the occipital crest, although there, is scarcely visible.
Stop : Very slightly marked and slanting.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Black or brown according to the coat colour, quite wide and the nostrils well open.
Muzzle : Cone shaped like the head; slightly shorter than the skull in ratio of 5 to 6.
Jaws : Strong, firmly planted teeth, white and even; no prognathism is acceptable.
Lips : Lean, tight, black or brown according to the coat.
Eyes : Medium size, of a dark colour whatever the colour of the coat; the eyelids, slighlty oblique and well pigmented, appear penciled in the light-coloured dogs; the expression is very lively, attentive and searching.
Ears : Of medium length with the tips slightly rounded; the ears are set obliquely so that they free the skull; they are carried semi-drop, turned forward when the dog is alert and sometimes laid back when at rest.

NECK : Powerful, muscular, without dewlap.

BODY :

Topline : broad back, muscular, of moderate length, followed by a powerful, muscular and slightly arched loin; the back line must show, without being a saddle back, a slight sunken profile.
Shoulder : Well directed, withers definitely appparent.
Chest : Of sufficient width, very deep and well let down, at least to the elbows; ribs lightly sprung.
Belly : Tucked up behind the false ribs without however giving a whippety appearance.

QUARTERS : The hip bones are very pronounced; the thighs muscular without heaviness and rather well let down.
Forearm solidly built, moderately muscled. Pasterns are short and almost straight. The angles of the stifle and the hock are very obtuse; this raises the rump and gives the aspect of the back sloping down towards the withers. Dewclaws are not admitted

FEET : Noticeably round, solid pads; strong nails, the colour of which varies with the coat.

TAIL : Long, at least reaching the hocks, set in the prolongation of the loin, carried low, and slightly curved when at rest. The tail is very bushy and the richness of this is a sign of purity of the breed. In action, the dog carries the tail much more gaily, but in no case must the tail curl over the back.

COAT

HAIR : Very thick, fairly long, dense, about 6 cm in length except for the face and the ears where it is shorter and finer. On the neck and under the throat, the hair forms a mane, especially in the males. The buttocks and the tail are covered with very dense and long hair.
COLOUR : Very variable; sandy, fawn, white, washed out, red, brindle, white and black, white and fawn with more or less black overlay, tricolour etc.; a frequently seen distribution of patches is the one forming a mantle (blanket) and "bonnet" (head markings), separated by a "scarf", with widening blaze, nose and lips strongly pigmented (St Bernard markings).
SIZE : Height at the withers : 52 to 62 cm.
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.